Puppies NEED to bite! This is not because they are “teething”. This is to learn bite inhibition!
So it’s very important to provide the right kind of feedback, and the right opportunities for the puppy, to reduce the impact this bite inhibition learning has on your family and your skin/clothes:)
Please keep in mind that although bite inhibition training is absolutely necessary, and puppy biting is absolutely necessary, things can greatly escalate when a puppy’s daily needs an are not met. Lack of physical and mental exercise result in that extra energy coming out their mouths!!
So first and foremost make sure your puppy is getting a good daily walk and outings to new places every day to meet both of those needs! Puppies need to be out and about experiencing the world. New sights, smells, sounds, people, places, animals, etc. Walks and other daily outings are absolutely necessary at a young age to keep a puppy brain and body healthy. Visit the socialization link for more information on how to do this in a safe way!
Make sure you are doing daily trainings to begin teaching mouth control (check out Simpawtico YouTube videos take it , leave it, drop it). And make sure your interactions are not encouraging biting. Teach calm focused behaviors like sit, stay, down, fetch, come, place, take it, drop it etc. and use these when interacting with your pup. Avoid rough play, chase etc. interactions as these encourage amped up out of control behavior. .
Second, other dogs are much better communicators with each other than we humans! Make sure your puppy is meeting and playing with MANY new dogs, they will teach bite inhibition in a fraction of the time it will take you to communicate. Be safe and insure these dogs and other puppies are current on vaccinations, and avoid high risk environments like public parks and dog parks!!! If you provide your puppy with a playmate or two every day you will notice a drastic decrease in the amount of biting on you and your family! Arrange some daily play dates with other dogs and puppies in the neighborhood!
And keep your puppy on a leash in the home to have better communication and control. This helps with all puppy behaviors and learning, not just puppy biting.
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